Friday, January 31, 2014

Children love it when adults tell
them stories. Sadly, many children live in households where happy stories are
few and far between.

We know that the traumas associated
with poverty, abuse, neglect, or violence can cause developmental and
behavioral problems. We also know that homeless and at-risk children are most
likely to suffer these challenges.

Storyteller Children’s Center, a
true community treasure, has been filling a void for children and families
since its inception, serving those most in need of these targeted services. In
fact, I view Storyteller, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, as an
organization that embodies the heart and soul of the Santa Barbara community.
It delivers free, high-quality early childhood education, coupled with
comprehensive support services for families.

Storyteller provides children with
nutritious meals, vision and dental screenings, and therapy for developmental
delays. Parents are able to finish school or work full-time while their
children are enrolled; they can also take part in parent education classes and
receive counseling, case management, and referral services on site.

While the value of these services
is self-evident to those who work with these children and families, researchers
at UCSB have been able to quantify the benefits. A longitudinal study,
currently in its fourth year, shows that students who graduate from Storyteller
receive “proficient” and “advanced” marks on their kindergarten and first-grade
report cards, faring much better than children from similar circumstances who
did not go to Storyteller.

There is also a monetary value to
the community at large. For every dollar invested in high-quality early
childhood education programs like Storyteller, taxpayers receive a $17 return
on the investment in a few short years, from the young adults who are
contributing to society and avoiding government support through welfare, health
care, or jail time.

For 25 years Storyteller, a truly
innovative nonprofit, has developed a national model for meeting the social,
medical, psychological and educational needs of homeless and at-risk students.
It has done this along with well-earned community support and resources, a
tribute to the respect and appreciation the public has for the remarkable
results the organization has been able to achieve.

As a long-time supporter I have
seen first-hand that this system of intervention works. Data from the UCSB
Graduate School of Education’s study confirms this observation.

The dedicated and visionary staff
and board members at Storyteller are community heroes who deserve our heartfelt
support and thanks. Their good work touches the lives of our youngest and most
vulnerable children every day. And best of all, it provides those children with
positive, happy stories that they otherwise would have to do without. That is
the true gift of any storyteller.

All involved should take a bow.
Happy 25th anniversary, Storyteller, and thank you for all that you do.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Whether it's a
hurricane, tornado, or earthquake far away, or a fire or shooting closer to
home, parents and other caregivers must meet the challenge
of reassuring children during times of crisis.

The way caregivers respond has
a huge impact on how children will react.

To help, a booklet from the American
Academy of Pediatrics and Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, called When Terrible Things Happen: A Parent’s
Guide to Talking with Their Children, offers some good advice.

For example, infants and toddlers, age
zero to three, can’t understand how a crisis or a loss has changed their
environment.

But they can recognize and respond
to changes in adult behavior.

The best way to help infants and toddlers
is to keep a routine and resume normal activities as soon as possible.

Pre-school children, ages three to
five, may not talk about their feelings openly. Talking while playing games can
help children of this age group express their thoughts more easily.

School-aged
children, age five to 12, have more understanding of how and why things happen
and will want to ask questions. Parents can help by talking, listening and
answering their questions directly and honestly.

We cannot control a crisis or
catastrophe. We can only control how we react to them, especially with our
children.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Certainly the media help reinforce some widespread myths, and people often act on perception rather than reality.

For example: Violence in videos and on TV helps create the impression that our neighborhoods are dangerous places, and we need guns, police, and the military to protect us.

Detailed reports of crime and terror create the perception among young and old alike that the world is unsafe. As a result, more people stay home, especially in urban areas, or act in a more guarded way.

Ironically, this isolation by law-abiding citizens actually helps make areas less safe.

News programs generally lead off with the most violent occurrence of the day — as opposed to less newsworthy acts of ordinary kindness, courage, and friendship.

This helps give a distorted view of just how much violence occurs around us.

Children who understand this distortion are better prepared to deal with the real world.

They understand that news reports are merely samplings of what is going on in the streets and around the world.

They understand that decisions on editing and story selection are made from thousands of choices, and are made according to professional standards of both news and entertainment value.

It is the oddity that is “new” and therefore considered news, rather than acts that are commonplace. And that is exactly the problem.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Getting meaning out of what we read is one of the secrets for success at any age, but most particularly for young people in school.

Experts always cite reading as the skill students most need for classroom success. Studies show that having a lot of reading materials around while children are growing up helps them in more ways than we may ever know. Being surrounded by words helps make children comfortable with language. Submerging children in a culture of words helps them learn that words have meaning.

Words are the building blocks for thinking and learning all through a lifetime.

But just learning to read is not enough to ensure school success.

It’s important to be able to sound out different letter combinations, but children must also learn to find the meaning in different combinations of words.

Reading out loud helps focus on pronunciation and word recognition. The next step is understanding what those words signify, and learning how to put them together in combinations to get meaning across.

Only then can students put what they read to its best use. Reading for meaning is always the goal.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Innovation and tradition have
always worked hand in hand. Take Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, a company
that did not exist 20 years ago. Bezos recently purchased The Washington Post,
itself a product of 19th century innovation, which was nonetheless struggling
to adapt its medium to a world that had transitioned from print to electronic
communication. We don’t know yet how the new configuration will play out with
Bezos at the helm, but it is easy to have confidence that the combination of
innovation and venerable tradition stands the best chance of success.

Education is also adapting to
changing times, taking advantage of new approaches and modern delivery systems.
Teachers use technology every day to enhance learning, tapping into the new
world their students inhabit, while continuing to meet traditional educational
needs.

Of the innumerable benefits we all
know education confers, high on the list is preparation for the world students
will enter when their schooling is complete. That task can be tricky.

Technology evolves at such a
dizzying rate that we must prepare students for jobs that do not yet exist. The
new Common Core curriculum will help students acquire the foundation they need,
providing students with the core knowledge and critical thinking skills that
will enable them to be agile and able to learn what arises in real time.

Career and technology education
continues to play a crucial role as well. Those programs embody a career
exploration model that takes teaching and learning to new levels and uses
traditional vocational and career programs to elevate academics to even higher
standards.

Our county’s ROP/CTE programs
continue to fill critical needs in helping students acquire job-related skills
of the highest order, while demonstrating concrete uses for academic learning.
This approach can be seen bearing fruit countywide.

The strength of ROP/CTE, an acronym
for Regional Occupational Programs/Career and Technical Education, has always
been its adaptation to the needs of the time. Since the program’s inception
decades ago, its virtue has been its linkages and strong partnerships with
local businesses and industries. These partners have informed our program
regarding current workplace needs, a crucial element in making sure our
programs remain cutting-edge. They also reinforce the need for the knowledge
and skills learned in the classroom, applying those basics to real-world needs.

Modern times demand this approach.
The jobs we envisioned yesterday are being filled today, and our ROP/CTE
programs are making sure students have the needed skills through
state-of-the-art model programs countywide.

Here’s a quick sampling:

The Graphic Communications/Design
Lab at Cabrillo High School in Lompoc is a state-recognized program that has
sent many students to the Oakland School of Art and Design, and provided
several jobs and internships for Lompoc students. Teacher Scott Schaller has
provided outstanding career and technical training and opportunities for his
students, while incorporating basic academic training seamlessly into the
program. His students learn typography, letterforms, and graphic design. They
work on logos, building signs, labels, and a host of modern uses for a
traditional art form.

The Dons Net Café at Santa Barbara
High School is a nationally recognized Virtual Enterprise program that focuses
on ecology and real-world applications of academic learning. Teacher Lee Ann
Knodel teaches computer accounting and computer business applications along
with virtual enterprise. Her students also help members of the community with
their tax forms, using the most up-to-date software applications.

Students of Chip Fenenga, at Santa
Ynez High School, use three-dimensional scanning to solve problems and conduct
research, connecting with the global effort to preserve historical sites in
digital formats. Students in the Environmental and Spatial Technologies Program
are the first in the world to use Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging to
capture millions of points of data and then create a three-dimensional image of
an object. Using that technology on buildings and historical sites can be of
particular value in reconstruction should a tragic fire or flood damage the
building, helping preserve the cultural heritage for all time.

The Engineering Academy at Dos
Pueblos High School has won state, national, and international awards for it
robotics program. Director Amir Abo-Shaeer founded the program with a mission
of gender equity among the students taking part, making sure the mix of boys
and girls remains at 50-50. Robotics programs, which integrate textbook
learning with hands-on, project-based applications, are skyrocketing in
popularity among students. In fact, robotics programs can be found countywide,
including Orcutt and Santa Maria.

ROP courses ranging from vintner
programs to automotive repair continue to serve students by merging innovative
technology with traditional academic and practical needs.

Innovation and tradition. This is
the future. We are very fortunate that it is here, now, in Santa Barbara
County, bearing fruit for students every day.